Really good read on Arsenal's problems prior to the new season. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...s-ahead-of-the-new-Premier-League-season.html
Good article but if overlooks the fact that SPINE is where you fall down and that is also where your captain comes from. Only in excpetonal cases in this country does your captain end up as a winger. It is more often than not a keeper, a centre back or a defensive midfielder. Arsenal are dodgy in all three areas. Almunia has his day but he isn't up there with the top 4 of Given, Reina, Cech and VDS. CB wise you better hope that Vermaelen is all he promises to be and I'd still be looking for someone to play next to him if I were you as well as a DM. One of those 2 players has to be your captain. How do you make Fabregas captain when he continually comes out with utter stupidity and clearly is playing out time until he feels Barca is the right move. The 4-5-1 could be massive for Arsenal this season with Denilson patrolling, Fabregas free and "insert name here" sitting holding. Wenger has shown a preference for this in big games in the past at Anfield and Old Trafford but the man who used to play the lone striker role so well when it worked to perfection? Yeah you guessed it, Adebayor. No wonder Arsene is looking at Chamakh (who I started taking note of when he destroyed Monaco in a second half sub appearance last season).
Wenger knows that we need another CB, a DMC, and a tall striker to fill Adebayor and Toure's void. He should and iron out the Hangeland deal by the end of the week before he gets cup-tied (Fulham have a Europa Cup game coming up). I haven't really seen any other players being watched by Arsenal apart from Bassong but I feel like that rumour fell through quite a while ago. He has his eye on Chamakh (for a couple of weeks now) and Roma's Vučinić who's another big striker and would be my top choice. Huntelaar is still an option as he has more height than I though (6'1") as Tottenham recently bought Crouch and Stuttgard couldn't agree personal terms. As of now, I would like to make a move for Huntelaar as a little bit of Dutch flair can always be good (Overmars/Bergkamp days). For defensive midfielders, I have no idea. Cana has already gone to Sunderland, Veloso is overrated, has an attitude problem, and had a mediocre season last year. Ideally, Alonso would be the perfect player to purchase but he won't be going for any less than 25m, I'm guessing. Any other suggestions? Torsten Frings was a prospect going around last year. For a goal keeper, I think we'll cope with Almunia but he definitely doesn't have the consistency for a "top four" club. I've been banging on about signing Akinfeev but I don't think Wenger can hear me.
What's up with Ruud Van Nistelroy's injury? Maybe you guys could go for a low risk, high reward thing here.
Too many serious injurieg good movement off the ball, height, hold up play and goals. RVN has been lucky but last season his luck ran out and with his previous injury he may never be the same again. Same boat as Owen for me although RVN is a much better player when fit for my money now that Owen has lost his pace.
